NEW YORK CITY — You’ll soon be able to surf the web while your bus is stuck in traffic.
More than 2,000 MTA buses will be equipped with free Wi-Fi and USB charging ports by 2020, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday.
The new buses will eventually make up about 40 percent of the city’s fleet, with the $1.3 billion price tag for the vehicles being split between the state and MTA capital budget.
“We’re reimagining the MTA to improve services for all New Yorkers,” Cuomo said in a statement.
“Today’s world demands connectivity and we’re meeting that challenge with state-of-the-art buses and a major overhaul of the MTA’s fleet. This upgrade will create a stronger, more convenient and more connected mass transit system for years to come.”
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The first 75 buses will be introduced in Queens this year, with 70 more in Brooklyn, 209 in The Bronx and 18 in Manhattan during the next two years.
All express buses will be retrofitted with the Wi-Fi and USB charging by the end of 2017.
There will be between 35 and 55 charging ports on each bus.
The agency will also test a new pilot program in 2016 to install 200 digital information screens on 200 buses, providing riders with information on upcoming stops, available transfers and weather.
New York will contribute $8.3 billion to the MTA's $26.1 billion fund for major development projects through 2019, which include subway station improvements, countdown clocks for the 7 line by 2018 and the Second Avenue Subway's extension into East Harlem.
The MTA is also installing charging ports and digital information screens on 200 subway cars this year and 400 more in 2017.
